Southeast side bank robbed

June 15, 2006|ALICIA GALLEGOS Tribune Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND -- For the second time in two weeks Wednesday, police scoured the area for suspects in a local bank robbery. Just before lunch, a lone man walked into the Notre Dame Federal Credit Union, 2102 E. Ireland Road, and passed a note to a teller demanding money, police spokesman Capt. John Williams said at the scene. The suspect then left with an undisclosed amount of cash and was last seen around 11 a.m. heading east on Ireland Road in a large blue vehicle. A few minutes later, officers discovered an empty truck matching the description of the suspect's vehicle near Irish Hills Apartments on Ireland Road. Police have not confirmed that the truck was the same vehicle used in the robbery, Williams said, but a check did determine it was reported stolen the day before. A 59-year-old woman told police her blue Dodge Dakota was taken at knifepoint Tuesday afternoon by a stranger in the 200 block of Studebaker Street, according to police reports. The victim said she was walking when the suspect -- who had a small knife -- approached her and demanded money, then assaulted her before jumping into the truck and driving off, reports said. Wednesday's robbery was the second financial institution robbed in South Bend in just 15 days and the fourth in the St. Joseph County area during the same time frame. On June 6, a man robbed 1st Source Bank, 2323 S. Michigan St., after also displaying a note to a teller. Another man allegedly robbed an MFB early Saturday morning in St. Joseph County. Taper Lock Credit Union, 425 Laurel St., in Mishawaka was hit by two armed men May 31, according to past reports.